SUPPORTERS - Guardians

A registered charity, the Thames Valley Adventure Playground provides a secure and fun environment for those of all ages and with all types of special need AND their families, allowing them to experience all the fun and freedom of adventure play which most of us would take for granted .

The cost of running the Adventure Playground is now £350,000 a year. Over 14,700 visits are made each year by children and adults with all types of disability . They travelled from all across the Thames Valley as well as from Hertfordshire, Hampshire and all parts of London, and from as far afield as Sussex and Cambridgeshire, as there are few places closer to home offering such special facilities.

As little as 5% of the money the Playground needs each year will come from local authority funding, and this is in the form of grants, not statutory funding. Users make a small contribution where possible and for the remainder we rely heavily on the support of our fundraisers and charitable donations from the local community. Sadly, these alone are not enough!

THE DEAL

As a business, we know that you understand how crucial 'running costs' are to any organisation, which is why we are approaching you. We urgently need your support to help to raise the funds vital to maintaining this important facility, which is such a lifeline to so many people with special needs and their families.

We hope your company will consider "buying" a week, or more, helping with The Playground's running costs by becoming a PLAYGROUND GUARDIAN. For a donation of £1000, we will:

acknowledge your generous support, by branding your name across the billboard in front of the Playground for your Guardianship week. The billboard is placed right on the main A4 (Bath Road), giving your business the maximum publicity on this busy route between Slough and Maidenhead. All we need from you is an electronic version of your logo so we can produce the inserts for the board.

invite you to corporate receptions at the Playground, enabling you to network with other Guardians.

publicize your Guardianship during your Guardianship week, with a link from the home page of our website (www.tvap.co.uk) to your website. The Adventure Playground is in touch with the Maidenhead Advertiser and other local papers on a regular basis and we continue to publicize our Guardianship appeal and inform them of the companies involved. You will also receive a mention in our newsletters, which are distributed widely to families, friends and contacts of the Playground and all supporters.

provide you with the opportunity to visit the Playground during your Guardianship week with your chosen guests or staff.

provide any background information you may require for your own internal and external publicity of your Guardianship.

THE PARTICIPANTS

The opportunity to become a Guardian is being offered to businesses and organisations across the Thames Valley and beyond. Since the scheme launched in 2004, we have been fortunate to have attracted some strong corporate names, including SEGRO, MARS, Summerleaze and Mattel UK. We would like you to become part of this very special group who are proud to support the Playground and the communities it serves.

THE NEXT STEPS

As a Guardian you will be able to support as many weeks in the year as you wish. Weeks are available on a first-come, first-served basis. Should you decide to proceed we will be in touch to discuss how you can maximise yur advertising and PR opportunities.

We do understand that circumstances can change and should you be able to help us on just one occasion, it would be the most tremendous help. Once you are a Guardian you will remain on the list, but, by signing up, you are not committing yourself to contribute further. Obviously, our hope is that your Guardianship is successful and that you will wish to continue it in the following year, and we will approach you with plenty of notice so that you will be able to exploit your involvement to best advantage.

It would be fantastic if you would consider becoming a Guardian of the Adventure Playground, and, if you would like to know more, please contact Nicky Hutchinson on 01628 628051, or emailguardians@tvap.co.uk.